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Market Deeping England football supporters enjoy trip to Euro 24 in Dortmund and Dusseldorf




A group of friends were blown away by the atmosphere and welcome after a whistlestop dash to follow England at Euro 2024.

Stuart Bowman, Nigel Matthews, Adrian Thompson and Andy MacHattie made the trip from Market Deeping to Germany in Adrian’s campervan.

The four mates were waved off on Saturday by the mayor of Market Deeping, Pamela Byrd, and with Adrian at the wheel, covered 657 miles in more than 12 hours to arrive in time for England’s opening match of the tournament.

Stuart Bowman, Nigel Matthews, Adrian Thompson and Andy Machattie fly the flag for their hometown
Stuart Bowman, Nigel Matthews, Adrian Thompson and Andy Machattie fly the flag for their hometown

The self-christened ‘four old gits’ watched the action from England’s 1-0 win over Serbia from a fan park in Dortmund.

Here, Andy enjoyed his ‘15 minutes of fame’ when he was interviewed by a German TV crew for his in-depth analysis on England’s prospects.

Their specially-made Market Deeping St George’s flag also made an appearance on the big screen.

The quartet used Adrian's campervan for the trip to Germany
The quartet used Adrian's campervan for the trip to Germany

The quartet also visited the fan zone in the German city of Dusseldorf where they had photos taken with German police and football fans from Portugal, Scotland and the United States.

There were reports of trouble involving Serbia and England supporters around the opening match in Gelscenkirchen, but Stuart’s experience was very different.

“We had a great time,” said Stuart.

Stuart said the host nation - and the police - extended a warm welcome
Stuart said the host nation - and the police - extended a warm welcome

“There were hoards of Scotland fans everywhere - ‘no Scotland, no party’.

“The atmosphere has been amazing - everyone we met was friendly and the Germans were very helpful.”

As for the business on the pitch itself, England have copped criticism with two unconvincing performances, including an underwhelming 1-1 draw with Denmark on Thursday.

Meeting some larger than life mascots
Meeting some larger than life mascots

But they are top of their group, and Stuart, who arrived home on Wednesday, remains confident.

“The Serbia game was not great, but it’s the result that counts,” he said.

“The Denmark game was not a good game, but the result was not a disaster and I’m confident that England will win the last game of the group stages.”

Victory for England in their final group game against Slovenia tonight (Tuesday) would win Group C for Gareth Southgate’s men and secure a second-round tie against a best third-place group finisher.



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